


Open House

by msraven



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, First Meetings, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Getting Together, Happy Ending, M/M, Mentions of past abuse, other minor pairings - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-05-17 07:03:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14827649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msraven/pseuds/msraven
Summary: Oh… Steve and Nat have been purposely keeping us apart. They think you'll break my heart and didn't want to deal with the fallout.Bucky and Clint meet despite their friends' interference, form a friendship, and maybe something more.





	1. Threshold

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you, as always, to my amazing beta, kultiras. 
> 
> I realized as I was writing the fic that this was how I imagined pre-war Bucky. I hope you enjoy my letting that idea flow a bit. :)

"This is Steve's House."

The girl's eyes narrowed in suspicion and Bucky ran a tired hand over his face. He'd just gotten off a sixteen hour flight and his body was several time zones behind him. All Bucky wanted was a bed to crash in. 

"Look," Bucky tried to say calmly in the hope that the girl didn't slam the door in his face. "I know this is Steve's house. Steve Rogers. I'm not some crazy fan, I'm—"

"Kate!" a deeper voice called out. "You get you're supposed to be working, right? I know Steve's a nice guy, but we— Oh."

The voice turned out to belong to a gorgeous blonde whose worn tee was damp with sweat and clung to a ridiculously beautiful set of arms and shoulders. Even if this didn't turn out to be Steve's house, Bucky wouldn't consider the afternoon wasted now. He let his lips widen into one his sexier smiles to gauge interest and was rewarded when the blonde blinked in surprise as a light blush stained his cheeks. He looked away from Bucky and addressed the girl still blocking the door. 

"Who's your friend?" the guy asked. 

Bucky wasn't sure if he should be offended or relieved that neither of them seemed to recognize him. It felt like Bucky's face had been plastered everywhere lately, but maybe it was just his perspective that was skewed. The girl shrugged with disinterest and the guy started to reach toward his back pocket when he froze and squinted at Bucky. 

"Oh! You're Steve's friend, Buck."

"Bucky," he corrected automatically even though he mostly went by James now. 

"Right! Kate, remember the pictures in Steve's study?"

The girl, Kate, tilted her head while she examined Bucky. "You look better without the beard," she said after a moment. 

Bucky's eyebrows went up nearly to his hairline while he heard, more than saw, the guy slap a hand to his forehead. 

"Geez, Kate," the guy groaned. "Next time you ask to speak with customers, remember this is why I say no. Please go finish up in the kitchen."

"I finished in the kitchen," Kate responded. "Was about to come find you when the pretty-eyed hobo here showed up."

Blonde guy groaned again. "I have no idea why I keep hiring you."

"Cuz I'm the best electrician and you love me," Kate fired back. She sauntered over to give the guy a hug and kiss on his cheek before she patted it fondly. "Call me when you're ready on the next house."

The guy just shook his head and hugged her back. Bucky couldn't help wondering what it would feel like to get hugged by arms like that. 

"She's an electrician?" Bucky asked once Kate had gone. "No offense, but she doesn't look old enough to drive."

"Kate's technically my apprentice. She's damn good, but will probably take another five years before she makes journeyman. She'll only work with me and I don't do too many jobs out here."

Bucky let his eyes rake up and down the guy's frame. "You're Steve's… _handy_ man?" 

The guy snorted an aborted laugh and Bucky smiled even if that wasn't quite the reaction he was going for—the guy was even cuter when he was amused. 

"I'm Clint. Let's say I'm the general contractor. Steve didn't mention the remodel?"

Clint stepped aside to let Bucky inside the house. "Well I knew he… holy shit!"

The house looked totally different from the last time he'd seen it, right after Steve bought the property. Steve had fallen in love with the view of the ocean from the master bedroom and bought the fully furnished house despite it being nothing like a house Steve Rogers would ever willingly own. Now all the pretentious furniture and decorations were gone and it looked like they'd knocked down several walls to create a more open floor plan. The best part though, was that nearly every wall on the side of the house that faced the ocean was now glass of some sort. The view that Steve had fallen in love with was now part of the whole house.

"Holy…" Bucky started to say again, but was interrupted by a huge yawn. 

Clint grinned and then motioned for Bucky to follow him up the stairs. "I'm gonna take that as a good reaction."

"It's fucking amazing," Bucky enthused as he followed Clint, trying to see as much of the house before he got distracted by a different view—Clint's ass was spectacular. Bucky wondered how it would look in tighter jeans or, better yet, nothing at all.

"We just painted in the guest rooms," Clint was saying, "but I'm gonna guess that Steve won't mind you using the master."

Bucky couldn't hold back the flirty smirk that spread across his face. "This day is looking up already."

Clint, who had walked toward some switches on the wall, looked over his shoulder at Bucky and gave him a bemused eyebrow raise. He then shook his head and flipped one of the switches that made the blackout curtains start to drop. Bucky, embarrassingly, let out another large yawn as soon as the light in the room began to dim. 

"You," Clint said as he stopped in front of Bucky on his way out of the room, "need some sleep and I still have work."

"Sure you'd rather not join me?" Bucky asked while valiantly trying not to yawn again.

Even in the dim light, Bucky could see that Clint was trying not to laugh at him. "Have a good nap. I'll let Steve know you're here."

Clint walked out and, without him as a distraction, Bucky felt the full weight of his fatigue. He managed to flop face down onto Steve's bed and toe off his shoes before sleep overtook him.

~^~

Bucky woke to the buzzing of his phone. He fished it out of his pocket automatically and brought it to his ear.

"Wha?"

"Get up and take a shower or you'll screw up your sleep schedule up worse."

"Steve?" Bucky asked as he sat up, disoriented and not quite sure where he was. 

"Yeah, it's me," Steve sighed. "You're at my house in LA. I'm guessing you just got in from Singapore. Go take a shower and call me back when you're more awake."

Bucky groaned and rolled over, using the light from his phone to find the switch for the bedside lamp. He knew that if he fell back asleep, Steve would just call back, so he pushed himself out of bed and stumbled toward the shower. He felt a lot better after he was clean and had found an extra, unopened toothbrush in drawer.

"Bedroom's bigger," Bucky said to Steve as he put the phone on speaker and wandered into Steve's ridiculously large walk-in closet. He set the phone down to rummage through drawers for boxers, sweats, and a t-shirt. "Where are you, anyway?"

"I'm in Florida with Tony. I don't get back until Friday. Why are you there early?"

"Shoot wrapped up early."

"And you didn't go home first because…?"

"Needed a break."

"Okay," Steve said easily and Bucky was once again glad to have such a good friend. He didn't have to explain to Steve that, after all that time on set, New York would have been too much of a temptation to fall back into bad habits. Steve had always been a safe haven.

Bucky pulled on a shirt and grimaced when the light reflected off his left arm. The prosthetic was a good reminder of everything he'd almost lost. 

Steve and Bucky had come into the industry around the same time and become fast friends when they'd starred in a few shows together. Unfortunately for Bucky, he'd fallen in with a bad crowd that led him down a spiral of bad decisions which culminated in his losing an arm to a freak train accident. That's when Steve had found him and gotten him back on his feet. With Steve's help, Bucky had received a state-of-the-art prosthetic and somehow managed to still land acting roles in smaller productions. 

"I can change my flight and be back tomorrow," Steve was saying now and Bucky took the phone off speaker as he walked out of the closet.

"You don't gotta do that. I am capable of taking care of myself without you."

"Clint mentioned a couple of things arrived late, so he'll be there another day or two."

"Clint," Bucky hummed to himself as the memory of earlier that day came back. Clint would definitely be a nice way to spend a few days.

"Bucky, _no_!" Steve scolded. "Do not, under any circumstances, sleep with Clint."

"But have you seen how fuckable he is?" Bucky whined. Of all the vices he'd had during the bad days, the only one Bucky hadn't felt the need to give up was casual sex. It was fun and relatively risk free as long as both sides were consenting. "Is he staying at the house?"

"Bucky, I said no. Please don't."

"Why not?" Bucky challenged because Steve had never warned him away from anyone before.

"Because he's a friend, a good friend. One I'd like to keep."

"Should I be insulted?"

"Buck. I love you, but we both know you just want a good fuck and not a date. Trust me when I say that Clint wants a date. He wants someone _to_ date. He doesn't do anything without strings. Promise me you won't try and sleep with him."

"Yeah, yeah. Fine. I won't seduce the contractor," Bucky said petulantly and flopped backward onto the bed.

"Thank you. And yes, he's staying at the house, so behave."

"What am I supposed to do? Hide in your room the whole time?"

"Clint's actually a good guy. Maybe try talking to him instead of just trying to get into his pants."

"I'd actually prefer to get him out of his pants."

"Bucky…"

"Don't get your panties in a bunch. I'll be good. See ya Friday."

"See you soon. Love ya, punk."

"Love you too, jerk."

Bucky dropped the phone onto the mattress and laid in the darkness for a few minutes. He debated whether he had the energy to get all the way up or if he should just crawl back under the covers for the rest of the night. He still hadn't made a decision when there was a knock at the door.

"Yeah? Come in," Bucky called out as he pushed himself up to his elbows.

Clint opened the door and seemed startled to see Bucky on the bed. "Sorry. Steve said you were up."

"I am up."

"And just sitting in the dark?"

Before Bucky could say anything in response, the smell of food wafted in from the open door, and made Bucky's stomach growl in response. 

Clint pushed the door open wider and Bucky could see him grin. "I made dinner if you're hungry."

Bucky bit back his first retort about what he was really hungry for and opted not to say anything at all as he scrambled off the bed. He motioned for Clint to precede him and cursed Steve in his head when he got another look at Clint's ass and the width of his shoulders. Damn Steve and his friendships.

"Beer?" Clint asked when they made it to the kitchen. 

Clint handed Bucky a bottle and he popped the top off with his left hand without thinking how it would look to a stranger. That's also when he realized that his prosthetic was on full display with the short-sleeved shirt he'd put on. He looked up to gauge Clint's reaction, but he had already turned away and began to dish out what looked like spaghetti and meatballs. 

"So…" Bucky said to fill the silence. "You cook?"

"Yeah. Self preservation. All my foster dad could cook was grilled cheese and he burnt it most of the time."

Bucky was about to retort that there was nothing wrong with grilled cheese when he took a bite of the meatball and groaned at the flavors. He took another bite. "This is _really_ good. I applaud your self preservation."

"Thanks," Clint responded and ducked his head, shy and all kinds of adorable.

They ate in silence for a few minutes while Bucky pretty much inhaled his dinner. When he was done, he sat back and patted his stomach. "That hit the spot."

"There's more if you want."

Bucky hesitated for a split-second and then stood to serve himself seconds. He made a deal with himself that he'd run a couple extra miles tomorrow to make up for the extra calories. Clint smiled indulgently at him, as if Bucky enjoying his cooking made him happy. 

"Nat said you were in Singapore?"

"I was. Nat who?"

"Natasha. Gorgeous redhead that could kill you with a look?"

Bucky blinked in surprise. "Natasha lets you call her Nat?"

"Best friend privilege."

"Wait. Your best friend is Natasha Romanov?"

"Yeah."

"You're also friends with Steve and Tony?"

"Yes, why?"

"How have we never met?"

"Oh… Steve and Nat have been purposely keeping us apart," Clint responded nonchalantly. "They think you'll break my heart and didn't want to deal with the fallout."

"The fuck?!" Bucky couldn't help being offended, mostly on Clint's behalf. He was well aware of his own issues, but their friends' expectations seemed unnecessarily harsh toward Clint. 

"They didn't know I overheard," Clint shrugged. 

"And it doesn't piss you off that they made the decision for you?"

"Eh. Better them than me."

"I don't fucking believe you."

"Let me guess," Clint said and tipped the top of his beer toward Bucky. "Steve told you to stop flirting with me when you talked, am I right?"

"What if he did?"

"My point is that Nat's been dealing with my messes for forever now. I trust her judgement better than my own at this point. That's part of why she's my best friend."

"Fine. So if she's right, why would I break your heart?"

"Steve talks about you, plus I may have Googled you this afternoon," Clint confessed. "I'm gonna apologize for not immediately recognizing…"

"Nah, Kate was right. I looked like a hobo when I showed up earlier." Bucky rubbed at his beard, which he really needed to trim or shave tomorrow. "Now I'm just a clean hobo."

Clint laughed. "Anyway… you're known for being a goof and super gracious to your fans, but not a lot of random speculation about who you're dating. It tells me you're super discrete, but stick mostly to short relationships."

"How do you get that?"

"Because being in an extended relationship means you want to share your life and that's really hard to do these days without someone catching you on camera. I went to a game with Steve and ended up on all sorts of sites. Thank God nobody actually cared enough to figure out who I was."

Bucky frowned because if he'd seen the pictures, he would definitely have tried to figure out who the hot blonde was. 

"I've also been around Steve since he started dating Tony and have had to endure way too many blind dates since then."

Bucky winced. "You let Steve set you up?"

"He's just so fucking earnest about it." 

Bucky nodded because he remembered having that conversation with Steve. Maybe his best friend privilege was being able to tell Steve to fuck off. 

"I did appreciate him trying. Funny thing is that it took a good date to make Steve stop, with me at least." Clint let out a laugh that had no humor it in and then turned away, using the excuse of putting his dish in the sink to hide the lingering sadness that Bucky still caught a glimpse of. When he turned back to face him, Clint had on a practiced smile that Bucky immediately hated.

"Steve's a good friend," Clint said and that thought looked to be enough to make his smile more real. "I _do_ appreciate him trying."

"So you want the sickeningly sweet love-fest he and Stark have going on?"

Clint shrugged as if he felt guilty admitting he wanted what Steve and Tony had. Bucky couldn't blame him—those two seemed ridiculously happy—but it wasn't something he personally wanted. He never wanted to give someone that much control over his life. 

Bucky drained the rest of his beer and shook his head when Clint waved a hand at the refrigerator to offer him more. This vice was one he had under control.

"You're figuring," Bucky said to continue the conversation, "that, between Steve not offering me up as a blind date and what you didn't find on Google, I'm not a long-term relationship guy."

"Basically."

"You're not wrong. What's so bad about having a little fun and leaving it at that?"

"Nothing. I just can't do it. I, uh, tend to take kindness to mean more than it does. I fall hard and fast and hit bottom just as fast."

"I tend to be in and out too fast to fall at all," Bucky admitted. He was silent for a second and then couldn't help asking his next question, mostly out of sheer curiosity. "If they knew to keep us apart, does that mean I'm your type?"

Clint rolled his eyes. "I know you've looked in mirror. You're everyone's type… at least when you're less hobo-y."

"Says you." Bucky leaned forward and gave Clint his most over-the-top sexy smoulder. "Everyone wants to take the hobo home to _wash_ him."

Clint threw his head back and laughed. Bucky held off for another second before he joined in. It felt good to laugh so openly with someone other than Steve and Bucky had to concede that Steve may have had a point to his advice earlier.

"Okay," Bucky said when their laughter subsided. "So we agree that our friends may have our best interest at heart, now what?"

Clint pretended to ponder for a second. "I may have installed several gaming consoles despite Steve saying not to…"

"A man after my own heart," Bucky said and rubbed his hands together gleefully. He stood and beckoned Clint to come along. "Let's see what games you've got. Loser gets to do dishes."

"Deal."

~^~

Clint turned out to be hilariously fun to hang out with. He was snarky and inappropriate and had the sense of humor of a twelve year old. They made good use of Steve's new game room that Clint had stocked with a large television setup, video games, billiards, darts, and foosball—generally acting like frat boys even though neither of them ever went to college. Clint was scheduled to finish up the guest bedrooms by Tuesday morning, but Bucky made enough of a nuisance of himself to stretch it to late Wednesday and, by then, it was easy to convince Clint to stay at the house until Steve showed up on Friday.

Bucky had never spent that much continuous time with anyone aside from Steve. Being on set with a cast didn't count because Bucky still felt he needed to be constantly alert during shoots. It's not that he didn't trust people, it was that he didn't trust most people. Experience had taught him that most people who claimed to be your friend turned out to be anything but. Clint, by virtue of being someone Steve called a good friend, was someone Bucky knew could be trusted. 

What was different about Clint was that he completely ignored the stigma of Bucky's arm. He didn't try to pretend it was a regular arm nor did he actively avoid it. Clint asked valid questions about the arm's maintenance and comfort, genuinely curious about how it compared to his own hearing aids. He didn't act like the arm was taboo and he actually teased Bucky about it in a way that somehow made him less conscious about it. Not even Steve was comfortable enough with Bucky's arm to give him crap about it, so it was refreshing for someone to treat the prosthetic as just a part of Bucky, because it was. 

On Thursday, Bucky managed to roll out of bed early enough to catch Clint as he was coming in from his run. His aids were sitting on the counter, so he didn't immediately notice Bucky leaning against the doorway into the kitchen and Bucky could look his fill. Clint sweaty and shirtless was a beautiful sight even if Bucky wasn't allowed to touch. 

When Clint finally sensed his presence, he turned to Bucky, glanced at the clock, and then back at Bucky. "Why are your eyes open?" he asked, voice pitched at a careful volume. "It's nowhere close to noon yet."

"Har-de har har." Bucky deadpanned and walked over to the coffee maker while Clint put his aids back in. "You're done with the fixtures in the guest bedrooms. That means you're free to entertain me."

"Well, I'm sorry your highness, but you are the only one here that's on vacation. Nat asked me to check out a house out in Sherman Oaks." Clint tilted his head thoughtfully as Bucky fought the urge to pout like a child. "You maybe want to come with me?"

"Really?" 

"Maybe just do the hobo thing again so we don't get stopped on the street by rabid fans."

"My fans are all amazing," Bucky defended automatically, but made a mental note to wear his work ball cap. "You get I know shit all about construction, right?"

"You've got a good eye," Clint told him. He had said the same thing when he'd shown Bucky the completed renovations here at the house. "I mostly need someone to bounce ideas off of while we walk around. Nat usually comes with me, but she's in DC with Sam. We don't usually do jobs in the Valley this close together."

"So why are you?"

"Favor for a friend."

Bucky wasn't surprised. Clint seemed like the type to drop everything for a friend. He hoped friends like Nat and Steve helped make sure that Clint's giving nature wasn't taken for granted. 

Clint glanced at the clock again and then draped his discarded shirt around his neck. "We've got a couple hours before we need to leave." 

Then he turned toward the refrigerator and bent to rummage through it. Bucky just managed to keep his groan internal at the view Clint was giving him. As unbelievable as it seemed, Bucky had figured out early in the week that Clint honestly had no idea how hot he was. Bucky wished he could show Clint exactly amazing every inch of him was, but Bucky had made a promise and he had to admit that Steve was right about making a new friend. Bucky realized he was more than willing to set aside his libido to keep Clint in his life. 

"I should probably hit the gym," he said as Clint straightened away from the refrigerator. Steve, thanks to Clint, now conveniently had a well stocked gym behind the pool. 

"If you're willing to wait until after your workout, I can throw together a late-ish brunch."

"Isn't that just lunch?"

Clint stuck his tongue out at Bucky. "You volunteering to cook?"

"Yeah, no. There's a reason why the pots and pans at my apartment are still brand new."

"Steve doesn't cook either," Clint mused. "You guys plan to live on takeout next week?"

"He has a service, I think."

"Probably the same one Tony uses. Okay, I'm gonna get cleaned up. At least grab one of Steve's protein bars so you don't pass out at the gym."

"Thanks mom."

Clint's only response was to throw a bar at Bucky, who caught it before it smacked him on the forehead. He laughed and they flipped each other off as Clint walked out of the kitchen.

~^~

The trip out to Sherman Oaks was enlightening. On the way there, Clint spent the drive telling Bucky stories about the first few houses he renovated, how he'd gone nearly broke doing it the way he wanted and spent more than one night without any heat or running water. It had gained him an appreciation for places that provided basic living amenities for the poor and homeless, which led to Bucky enthusing about how great his fans were for supporting any charity he named.

While at the house, Clint was clearly in his element. His endearing awkwardness and clumsiness was replaced by confidence and capability as he walked around the house with a laser focus. He asked direct questions that the realtors tripped over each other to answer. They fawned over Clint, seeking his approval and doing their best to impress him. That was what turned into a revelation for Bucky because to them, he wasn't Clint. He was Mr. Barton and it didn't take long for Bucky to make the right connections. 

Clint Barton was one of Hollywood's sadder stories. The youngest son of a relatively well known director, he'd lost both of his parents when the drunk director had crashed them into a parked semi. There had been rumors of abuse surrounding Clint's hearing loss, but everyone seemed to conveniently forget them in the aftermath of the accident. Clint, who had already starred in a few shows for Disney, was put into the care of his older brother and agent. His luck with them wasn't much better. They had stolen from him before eventually being arrested for their connection to a sex trafficking ring. The last thing Bucky remembered hearing about Clint before he disappeared from Hollywood was that he'd been taken in by one of his co-stars. 

It wasn't until they got back to Steve's house that Bucky realized they'd spent the whole drive back in silence. Clint dropped his keys onto the counter and then just stayed there staring down at them. 

"So you finally figured out who I am," Clint said and there was something awful and wrong to how he sounded—like he was bracing for Bucky to hate him. 

It made him remember the months after he'd lost his arm. How he'd come out of the fog of anaesthetics and the pain of withdrawal to be filled with disgust at himself. Other people may have led him into drugs and alcohol to control him, but it had still been him underneath. It took a lot of convincing between Steve, his family, and his therapist for Bucky to start believing he deserved anything but hate. 

Clint had to know Bucky's whole sordid history, but he'd never treated him as anything but a potential friend. It hurt a little that Clint would think so little of him. Then again, Bucky wasn't exactly the epitome of implicit trust, so he should probably cut him some slack. The real problem was how to get them back to where they were that morning. 

"Avengers Academy was my favorite show as a kid," Bucky blurted out. 

Clint looked up with a wry smile that still wasn't quite as bright as Bucky had gotten used to. "Thanks for making me feel old."

"Nah. You're only what? Four years older than me. It was why I liked it. I could relate."

"To a bunch of kids that were supposed to be training as superheroes?"

"There _was_ an unnatural amount of spandex," Bucky mused. 

Clint laughed and Bucky grinned back. A sudden memory surfaced that made him want to blush, but Bucky chose not to shy away from the admission. "I had the biggest crush on Hawkeye. I think that's when I figured out I was bi."

Clint's smile was understanding. "I actually get that a lot. Nick thinks it's because I was figuring out my own sexuality at the time."

"Oh!" Bucky said as another memory surfaced. "You mean Nick Fury. I remember reading about that. Fury was your foster dad? Wow. Commander Jackson from the Academy was your dad."

"He actually adopted me just before I turned eighteen. I told him he didn't have to, but he wanted to make it official even if I didn't change my last name."

"That's kind of hilarious considering he spent the whole time—"

"Yelling at me on the show?" Clint finished with a grin. "Yeah. We laugh about that a lot."

Bucky's eyes widened when an idea struck him. "There have to be episodes on YouTube! We should totally—"

"No! Bucky, no."

"Yes! Clint, yes," Bucky countered and started toward the media room.

Clint tried to bodily block him and they wrestle-walked their way into the other room. Bucky succeeded in getting one episode cued up despite, or maybe because of, Clint's embarrassed grumbling. They laughed until their sides ached at the show before Bucky took pity on Clint and put on a movie. 

As they ate reheated lasagna in front of the television, Bucky realized that it was their similar pasts that made things so easy with Clint. They both understood what it was like to be betrayed by people they trusted. They both knew how it felt to lose control of their lives and the ongoing need not to let it happen again. That's why Clint never got that concerned and slightly disappointed look when Bucky had a beer. He understood that it was a measure of control in itself, the ability to have and stop at one. Maybe it was the same reason Clint only ever had one beer too. 

Bucky really felt like he was making a connection, a friendship with Clint that was deeper, but different from Steve. That's why he was so disappointed to walk down to the kitchen the next morning to find that Clint was gone. 

"Don't look so happy to see me," Steve said and Bucky shook himself out of his shock to give him a hug. Steve must have noticed Bucky looking around in confusion because he clapped him supportively on the shoulder. "Clint ran out of here about ten minutes ago. Something about reading the times wrong and almost missing his flight."

"Oh."

"Clint can be a bit of a train wreck sometimes. I'm sure he meant to say goodbye."

"Yeah, 'course," Bucky said with more optimism than he felt. 

"Come on, I'm starving. Let's go out for pancakes."

~^~

Bucky did his best to shake off the funk he was feeling, but he was still feeling down a few days later when he and Steve went out to one of Steve's favorite bars for dinner. He was debating with himself on whether he should ask Steve for Clint's number—just to make sure he got home okay—when Steve kicked him under the table. 

"That gal at the bar's been trying to catch your eye," Steve told him. 

Bucky started to glance over, but then his phone buzzed in his hand and he looked down to see an unknown number had sent him a picture. He opened the text to find a picture of a sad looking kitten with the words "I'm Sorry" underneath. Bucky grinned because he knew exactly who it was from before the next text came through. 

_It's Clint. Steve gave me your num. okay?_

_Guess u made it home_

_Barely_

_idiot. Next time, wake me_

_never poke a sleeping bear_

The waitress appeared at their table before Bucky could type a response. He knew better than to keep Steve waiting for his food and cut his conversation with Clint short. It was enough of a relief that Clint had contacted him at all. 

_Dinners here. Ttyl?_

_Eat your veggies_

Bucky sent back the middle finger emoticon and tucked his phone back in his jeans, finally able to give Steve a real smile. 

"Clint made it home okay," Bucky said as he took a bite of his chicken—passable, but not as good as Clint's. 

"So you guys got along?"

Bucky rolled his eyes. "I didn't sleep with him."

"I didn't say you did. It's just… You know, never mind. Glad you made a friend. I'm proud of you."

"Fuck you. Don't think I haven't noticed you've only got five contacts on your phone."

"Jerk. It's at least ten."

They laughed together and spent the rest of the night reminiscing about old times. Not once did Bucky think of looking over at the bar.


	2. Entryway

"Who Hawkguy?"

Bucky looked over his shoulder at his nephew and smiled. "It's Hawkeye. Nickname for a friend. Actually… c'mere."

He settled Jamie on his lap and held his phone up for a quick selfie that he sent off to Clint. Within a few seconds, he got a gif in response of a puppy falling over and a text saying "dying of cute." He showed it to Jamie and got a giggle in response. 

"C'nect Four?" Jamie asked and Bucky nodded. 

"Go get it and we'll set it up on the table."

"Jamie likes you," Becca said as she settled on the couch next to Bucky. 

"I like him too. He's a great kid, Becs. Sorry I hadn't come by before. I wasn't sure—"

"Doesn't matter," she interrupted and gripped his hand tightly. "You're here now."

"Thanks."

"Wasn't Hawkeye that character you had a crush on when we were kids?"

"You remember that?"

"Hard to forget when you had all those posters covering your side of the room. I mean, I know you never had posters of just him, but it was pretty clear who you were making googly eyes at."

Bucky reared back in false affront. "I don't make googly eyes." He then gave her the most lovestruck expression he could make until she laughed and gave him a kiss on his cheek. 

"I've missed you big brother."

"Me too, sis."

"So who's Hawkeye? New boyfriend?"

"Nah," Bucky shook his head. "Just a friend. This is going to sound weird, but remember the actor who played him?"

"Not really. I mostly remember purple spandex."

Bucky laughed. "I've gotta tell Clint that. But yeah, the actor, he's a friend of Steve's too."

"Is he all old and gross?"

"What? No. He's only four years older than me and in great shape. Why?"

"Then why aren't you all up in that?"

"What—" Bucky had to shake off the thought of his sister encouraging his sex life. "We're friends. He's a good guy. He's most of the reason why I'm here. Wouldn't take my shit excuses and pushed me to call you."

"I like him already. Is he straight?"

"No, he's not."

"Married?"

"Not anymore."

"Then I don't get it. He's a good guy, he swings your way, he's friends with your friends, he sounds like he cares about you, and, most importantly, he puts a smile on your face. Why aren't you together?"

"Because…" Bucky stopped, unwilling to explain to his kid sister that he wasn't interested in anything but sex with his partners. "We want different things and I like him too much as a friend to mess with that."

Becca just looked at Bucky for a good minute before she spoke. "I know you didn't want me around when everything happened and I was so pissed off at you for missing the wedding. But you're here now and I'm letting my son hang all over your new arm. People change, Buck. It may seem scary, but you're allowed to change too. You deserve someone good in your life."

"Uncle Bucky!" Jamie cried insistently from the table. "C'nect Four!"

"Coming!" Bucky called back and stood, but not before looking down at Becca. "Thanks. I, uh, guess I'll think about it."

He spent the rest of the afternoon playing various games with Jamie before dinner and didn't really give what Becca said much thought. After dinner, Bucky used the cover of Jamie's pre-bedtime bath to escape out to the porch. As much as he loved being with Becca and her family, Bucky still needed the occasional break to be alone. When Clint chose that moment to call, it didn't occur to Bucky to wonder why it didn't feel like an intrusion. 

"How's it going out there?"

"Great," Bucky responded. "Jamie is awesome and exhausting, but mostly awesome."

"And Becca?"

"Great on that front too. I forgot how sassy she was. It's… it's been a long overdue visit."

"Good to hear. So…"

"So, what?"

"Repeat after me," Clint prodded. "Clint is the best and is always right. I should never question his advice. Now you say it."

"Weren't you trying to tell me the other day that coffee stains were a valid fashion accessory?"

"Pfsssh. You're hot enough to totally have pulled it off."

"Wardrobe did not agree with you," Bucky told him and blamed his blush on Becca's earlier comments. "But I was kidding. I do appreciate you talking me into this."

"You're welcome. So hey, what are you doing next weekend?"

"Uh…" Bucky tried to remember his schedule. "I think I'm in Philadelphia for a Con."

"Damn. Oh well. Next time I'm in town then."

"Wait. Are you gonna be in New York?" He put the phone on speaker as he flipped to his email and checked what his agent had sent about the Con. He and Clint have texted and called, but Bucky hadn't seen Clint in months, not since the week at Steve's house. Bucky groaned at what he found in his email and put the phone back to his ear. "Fuck. I can't reschedule. They have this whole VIP thing and people pay to—"

"It's okay Buck, really. I get it. Your fans deserve to see you."

"What are you doing in New York?"

"Just something Tony cooked up, which is why it's on such short notice. I'm only there overnight and then fly to Colorado for a job."

"How long is the job? I could—"

"Bucky?" Becca's voice called from the front door and Bucky turned to face her. "Sorry to interrupt, but Jamie's asking for you to read his bedtime story."

"Oh!" Bucky couldn't hold back his grin if he'd tried. "Sure. I'd love to." He agreed and then spoke back into the phone. "I gotta go."

"It's cool. Go be fun Uncle Bucky."

"Thanks again. I'll call you soon."

"Bye, Bucky."

Bucky hung up, put his phone away, and completely ignored the knowing look Becca was giving him.

~^~

Bucky was at a party the following Saturday when he got the text. Since there was a very short list of people that had his personal number, he excused himself from the guy he was chatting with and found a corner to read it. He expected it to be Clint and was surprised to see that it was from Sam.

_Bucky wtf? Is this your fault?_

The link Sam sent was titled, "Child actor Clint Barton comes out of hiding to back Stark charity." It turned out to be a video link and Bucky quickly found a bathroom to watch it in. 

The video was unmistakably Clint, looking sheepishly at a reporter who was holding a mic. Bucky couldn't help noticing that Clint was looking gorgeous in a grey-on-grey suit as he hit play on the video. 

Subtitles at the bottom read, "It's going to be a big surprise for your fans to see you here."

Clint ducked his head and let out a self-deprecating laugh. "I was counting on you guys not figuring out who I was until after the party."

The reporter shook her head and must have asked something, but Bucky could tell that the background noise was interfering with Clint's hearing aids. He motioned toward the party behind them, pointed at his ear, and then leaned closer to the reporter. An unhappy emotion made Bucky grit his teeth as she braced a hand on Clint's bicep and put her lips right up to his ear to be heard. 

"Why now? What's so important about this charity that you've come out of hiding?" the subtitles helpfully provided. 

Clint frowned and shook his head as he leaned away. "I wasn't hiding, I just wasn't…" He shook his again, a little agitated at the question. "We're not here about me. I'm not here as a former actor. I'm here as a developer and contractor. As for why… A good friend and I were talking about how lucky we are to have so much and how little it takes for us to make a difference for people who have less. He made me realize how much more I could be doing, so when Tony came up with the plan, I couldn't say no."

Bucky could feel himself blush as he continued to look at Clint's smile, frozen at the end of the video. It took him a minute to get the blush under control and was about to leave the bathroom when his phone buzzed again. Sam's message had been a group text. 

_OMG_ , came from Steve. _he talked to a reporter. Bucky what did you do?_

_I don't know whether to kiss or kill you_ Somehow Natasha made both prospects sound ominous to Bucky. 

_I am quite proud of both Clinton and James_ , was from Thor, overly supportive as always.

_Are we all forgetting my genius in this?_

Tony's text came in with an almost immediate reply from Rhodey, _Yes, because we all know you got the idea from Clint_

_Can't help I'm a good example_ , Bucky fired off and didn't bother reading the flurry of texts he got in response. 

Bucky stepped out of the bathroom and made his way over to thank the party organizer before he slipped out to head back to his room. He dialed Clint's number, kicked off his shoes, and sat back against the headboard of his bed as Clint answered. 

"Hey. How's Philly?"

"Apparently not as exciting as New York."

"Shit. The video is out already?"

"Sam sent it out," Bucky answered. "Did you… Are you really there cuz of me?"

"Seemed like a fair trade."

"How so?"

"I convinced you to go see your sister…"

"And you put your name behind a charity. Wish I could have been there."

"You can blame Tony for that," Clint said with a huff. "He didn't want to wait."

"What exactly are you doing?"

"Tony bought a couple of buildings and my team is volunteering their time to renovate it into a combination of temporary housing and a place for kids to hang out safely."

"That sounds great. When do you start?"

"Not until next spring," Clint answered. "Lots of fundraising to do until then."

"You guys hoarding this or can the rest of us get in on the action?"

"I already warned Tony there was no way we'd keep it from becoming a group project."

"Can't let you two hog all the glory," Bucky agreed and then hesitated. "So… this mean you'll be in New York for a few months?"

"Yeah. If my team is volunteering their time, I should be right there with them. Tony, uh, already agreed to house my crew at the Tower."

"What about you?"

"Not sure I can stand that much Tony. I was thinking I could always rent a place in my old Bed Stuy neighborhood."

"Or you could stay with me?" Bucky offered. "I've got plenty of room."

"You willing to have my company that long?"

"Well… you are a dirty cheat at pool."

"Ha! That's all skill, baby, and you know it." 

Bucky laughed to hide how the small endearment had settled happily in his chest. "Then I guess I'll be willing to have all that skill invade my space for a few months."

"Thanks Buck. I appreciate you saving me from Stark's."

"All part of my plan to convince you to be my personal chef."

"Hmmm… Maybe I should study up on healthier food recipes."

"Where's the fun in that?" Bucky groused. 

Clint's chuckle faded into a yawn. "I should probably get some sleep. Got an early flight tomorrow."

"Sure you got the time right?"

"Pepper made the arrangements and Happy's driving me," Clint admitted, voice already half-softened by sleep. 

Bucky was wondering if he could come up with a valid excuse to visit Colorado when Clint spoke again, more clearly. 

"Before I forget again, you doing anything over Labor Day week?"

"That's in a couple weeks, right? No specific plans."

"You wanna come to middle of nowhere, America?"

Bucky smiled, surprised and delighted at the invitation to Clint's secluded homestead. "You invitin' me to the farm?" 

"If you want. A couple of weeks should be enough time to get the Colorado job started."

"Wait. You're not overseeing the job in Colorado?"

"Not the whole time. It's pretty straightforward, so I just need to get it started and check in periodically."

"That's…" Bucky was more than a little shocked. They'd talked about how Clint had always been at every renovation from start to finish—a measure of control he didn't want to relinquish.

"I know," Clint said and Bucky could hear the trepidation in his voice. "But I can't grow my business if I have to be at every site. It _is_ a straightforward renovation and I have a good crew that I trust. If my business is going to grow, then I need to grow with it. I figure that giving up some control is good as long as I know I'm giving to the right people."

"That's very adult of you."

Clint chuckled. "Don't let it get around."

"Your secret is safe with me."

"I know, Bucky. I trust you," Clint said softly and Bucky couldn't quite get a read at what he heard in his voice. He wished he could see Clint's face.

"So… Iowa over Labor Day week?"

"Yeah. It's kind of a yearly thing now. Stark brings in his staff so that I don't kill myself feeding and cleaning up everyone on my birthday."

"Oh," Bucky said lamely. He told himself to be glad he was being included and not disappointed that it wouldn't just be him and Clint at the farm. "Who else is coming?"

"Usual crew. Nat, Sam, Steve, Tony, Pepper, and Rhodey. Thor has to be in Norway, I think. Not sure if Bruce is going to make it this year."

"Full house."

"It's why I renovated the barn a few years ago. Everyone seems to enjoy hanging around, playing farmer, or lounging in the lake."

"You have a lake?"

"I have access to a lake," Clint clarified. "What do you think? Want to come hang out in rural Iowa for a week?"

"Only because you make it sound so appealing," Bucky drawled and figured that Clint knew him well enough to see past the sarcasm.

Clint yawned around a sentence that sounded like it could have been, "I'm always appealing."

"Go to bed old man. Don't want Pepper coming after me for making you miss your flight."

"Right. G'night Bucky."

"Night Clint."

Bucky hung up and forced himself out of his comfortable sprawl on the bed to get out of his clothes and brush his teeth. He was genuinely looking forward to spending time with Clint out at the farm even if there would be several others there vying for his attention. The farm was Clint's home and Bucky liked the idea of being in his space as much as he liked the idea of Clint being in his apartment in New York. 

As he settled back in bed, Bucky mentally went through his schedule for the next few months. This press tour was wrapping up and he didn't have any immediate commitments aside from reading through a few scripts his agent had sent him. Maybe he could stay a few extra days at the farm after everyone else left, if Clint wasn't needed elsewhere. Then if he planned his fall and winter right, Bucky should have no trouble spending the spring in New York with Clint. Bucky could even take a part in a play, if he felt like it. 

Thinking about winter made Bucky remember that Becca had invited him out for Thanksgiving. He started to drift off to the image of eating turkey with Clint seated beside him and his last thought before sleep overtook him was to wonder if they'd spend Christmas in New York or Iowa.

~^~

"Clint says we don't get lunch if we take any longer." Today was the only lunch Clint was allowed to help with and Bucky flipped his phone around to show Steve and Tony the picture Clint had sent him of the grill covered in burgers, brats, and corn.

"We should have rented a car." Steve said sadly and was followed, as if on cue, by a large growl from his stomach.

"How was I supposed to know that air traffic control were going to be a bunch of assholes?" Tony responded. 

"It's okay Tony," Steve said placatingly. "I'm sure Clint made plenty of food. It's okay that we're late."

Bucky chose to stay silent because Tony's grand idea of them arriving at the farm by helicopter had already added two hours to their trip. He wouldn't say he was mad, but nothing he said right now would be particularly pleasant either. 

The closer he got to Clint, the more Bucky realized how much he'd missed him. Every minute of delay had added to Bucky's tension until Steve had given him a few pointed looks and he'd had to forcibly work on calming down. Now they were making the final approach to the farm and Bucky's heart felt like it was going to rabbit out of his chest. 

He could see Clint standing on the porch as they touched down a safe distance away. Stark, of course, was the first one out and he strode forward with his arms outstretched like the showman he was. Bucky and Steve followed quickly behind him, grabbing their bags and ducking under the air blasting from the rotors as the helicopter took off. 

Bucky's long hair whipped into his face and he scowled, thankful that he would not be leaving the farm with Steve and Tony. By the time Bucky flicked his hair away from his face, Tony had already gone into the house and Clint was getting a bear hug from Steve. Then Clint was in front of Bucky and his breath stuck in his throat. He dropped his bags and pulled Clint into a hug that was probably too tight, but Clint didn't seem to mind because he hugged back just as tightly. 

Bucky froze as Clint pulled back with a laugh and then buried his fingers in Bucky's hair. For a split-second, Bucky thought Clint was going to kiss him, but then he realized that Clint was trying to detangle the mess the rotors had made of his hair. He quickly ducked his head, both to hide his blush and to give Clint better access to the tangles. He waited until Clint's fingers fell away before he raised his head. 

"Thanks."

"You would not have heard the end of it from Nat if I'd let you walk in like that," Clint grinned and then his smile softened. "Welcome to the farm."

Seeing Clint's smile made any remaining tension bleed away and left a happy warmth in its place. "I'm happy to be here," Bucky responded sincerely. 

"Come on inside," Clint said and grabbed one of his bags. Bucky followed him into the house as he put Bucky's bag next to the others in the entryway. "I made everyone wait to call dibs on rooms until you arrived. The rooms in the barn are larger, but there's one smaller guest room in here that's closer to coffee in the morning. Do you want a tour first or food?"

"Let's start with food. From what Steve says, the tour could take a while."

"It's really mostly open land."

"With a lake," Bucky reminded him cheekily as they stepped onto the back deck. 

Steve, Tony, Natasha, Sam, Bruce, Pepper, and Rhodey were scattered around the deck, but Clint stuck close to Bucky after he'd handed him a plate of food. Clint gave him a quick tour of the farmhouse and barn after lunch so they could draw straws for where everyone was sleeping. Bucky hoped for luck to be on his side and barely caught Clint's sleight of hand to make sure Bucky got the longest straw and first pick. 

"I'll take the room in the farmhouse," Bucky chose and grinned at Clint's wide smile of approval. 

The four rooms and loft in the barn were divvied up pretty quickly after that since both Bruce and Rhodey were too nice to force Pepper into the open loft or the pairs into the smaller beds. Bucky asked to see the lake after all the bags had been deposited into the proper rooms and then resigned himself to getting no time alone with Clint when Sam jumped at the chance to come with them. 

The three of them were headed back to the house when Clint suddenly gave a happy yell and took off running. He ran across the grass and was met just before the deck by what looked like a golden lab mix. Bucky watched as Clint let himself be tackled and then proceeded to roll around in the grass with the dog. 

"I guess Kate is letting him have Lucky back as his birthday gift," Sam said. 

"Clint has a dog?" Bucky asked, grinning as Clint and Lucky continued to romp playfully on the grass. 

"I think Lucky is mostly Kate's now. They tried to share him for a while, but Clint's travel schedule is a lot more hectic than Kate's. Too bad, cuz Clint loves that one-eyed mutt."

Later, Bucky would be embarrassed that it look the dog for him to gain clarity. Because his mind was suddenly filled with happy images of Lucky playing with Jamie at Thanksgiving, Lucky sitting at the base of the Christmas tree as Clint and Bucky sat drinking eggnog, and of them taking Lucky on long walks in Central Park. Bucky was imagining all aspects of his life alongside Clint and Lucky, and the idea didn't make Bucky want to run. Instead, he wanted to reach out, grab them close, and never let go. 

Bucky strode over to where the others were standing around playing cornhole. He stepped in front of Steve and took a deep breath. 

"I'm breaking my promise," Bucky said, his confidence at the decision growing with each word. 

"What? What promise?" Steve asked in confusion. 

"I'm going to sleep with Clint."

"Bucky, we—" Natasha started to interrupt, but Bucky quickly shook his head to stop her disapproval. 

"No, nope. Shut up. I don't want to hear it. Clint is fucking perfect and I'm done staying away. I'm gonna go over there to kiss him stupid and then I'm going to take him to bed, hopefully for the rest of our lives. If you all have a problem with that, you can fuck right off."

By the end of his tirade, the others were all giving him happy smiles. Then Steve glanced over Bucky's shoulder and his smile widened.

"Look behind you, Buck."

Bucky spun around to find Clint standing a few feet behind him, holding Lucky's collar and looking absolutely gobsmacked. He didn't look disgusted or angry, just shocked, so Bucky took a step closer. He held Clint's gaze for a second before he dropped down to a squat and held his hands out to Lucky in wordless greeting. Lucky pulled himself out of Clint's lax hold and leaped at Bucky excitedly.

"Hey there, boy. Hey Lucky. I'm Bucky," Bucky said as Lucky pushed himself into his arms for pets. "We need to get to know each other real well because I plan to spend a lot of time with you and Clint."

Lucky woofed at the sound of his owner's name and then bounced back over to Clint's side excitedly. Bucky took the opportunity to stand and step closer to Clint, who was now looking at Bucky with a mix of fondness and confusion.

"Do you have any idea how hard I've had to try not to fall in love with you?" Clint asked.

"For my sake, I hope it was hard enough that it didn't work," Bucky answered. He took another step closer and reached out to cup Clint's jaw lightly in his hand. "Do you have any idea how easy it is to fall in love with _you_?"

Clint let out a breathless laugh as his hands settled on Bucky's hips. "Really? I thought you said—"

"I was wrong. Besides, someone I trust recently told me that giving up control is a good thing as long as you're giving it to the right person." 

Clint's smile shone with happiness and Bucky no longer had to stop himself from leaning in to taste that happiness for himself.


	3. Epilogue - Home

Bucky surfaced slowly from sleep, warm and content in a way he only felt when he was home with Clint. They'd arrived at the farm fairly late the night before, so he wasn't overly surprised to open his eyes and find that Clint was still asleep beside him.

He took the opportunity to think back on the past year and how so many things he'd imagined had come true. Clint and Lucky had easily agreed to spend Thanksgiving with him at Becca's, though Bucky wasn't sure they were quite forgiven for being the catalyst for Jamie's new fascination with dogs, cats, and basically any creature he saw and wanted to bring home. They spent Christmas at the farm and Bucky had endured the truly frightening experience of meeting Nick Fury and his new wife, Maria Hill. Bucky later admitted to Clint that Maria was, by far, the scarier of the two. New Year's Eve meant Stark's yearly bash in New York and Clint's earlier assertion had been proven right when a trip to Bucky's favorite coffee spot resulted in pictures of them plastered over every fan blog within the hour. Neither of them minded—they weren't hiding—but Bucky had been somewhat humbled by how genuinely happy his fans seemed to be about his finding what they believed was true love. It helped that Bucky believed it too. 

The nature of their jobs meant that Clint and Bucky couldn't be together all the time, but they each worked hard to make their separations as brief as possible. Their belongings were slowly migrating to both the farm and the New York apartment, though they silently agreed that the farm was home. Bucky now had stacks of scripts seated next to all of Clint's blueprints at both locations and Clint was drawing up plans for renovations in New York. They even managed to wrangle more time with custody of Lucky from Kate. It had been the best year Bucky could have hoped for. 

"Is there a reason why you're watching me sleep?" Clint asked without opening his eyes. 

"Yes," Bucky answered and shifted until he was laying on top of Clint, but with most of weight braced on his elbows. 

Clint opened his eyes and let his legs fall open to better accommodate Bucky between them. "You gonna share with the class?"

"Pretty sure you already know, doll." Bucky leaned down to give Clint a tender kiss, no longer embarrassed by how much emotion it showed. 

They continued to kiss until Bucky let more of his weight press against Clint and rolled their hips together. Their kisses went from tender to passionate as Clint gripped at Bucky's shoulders and wrapped his legs around his hips. 

"I think you have a Pavlovian response to this bed," Clint gasped as Bucky pressed sucking kisses down his throat. 

Clint wasn't totally wrong. Since he'd made good on his promise to drag Clint into bed that first afternoon, Bucky had found himself addicted. Sex with Clint ranged from tender and loving, to athletic and mind-blowing, to everything in between. Bucky could never get enough. 

He lifted his head to grin wickedly at Clint. "Pavlovian response to _you_ ," he clarified as he pushed their boxers down and took them both in hand. 

"Oh fuck," Clint groaned as Bucky began to stroke up their lengths. 

Bucky set a pace that he knew meant neither of them would last very long. He loved watching Clint fall apart for him, how he arched into Bucky's touch and moaned his pleasure into Bucky's ear. He watched Clint fall over the edge into his climax and then caught his lips in a desperate kiss as Bucky followed quickly after. He gentled the kiss as they came down from their release and then collapsed fully against Clint while they caught their breaths.

"Shove me if I'm too heavy," Bucky said after a minute.

"You're fine," Clint responded and then shifted. "Though we may end up stuck together."

"Ewww," Bucky joked. He rolled to the side and reached for the wipes they kept in the bedside table, giving them a cursory cleanup before he snuggled back in close to Clint. "What time is it?"

Clint lifted his head just enough to see the clock. "Nearly eleven. We should probably get up."

"When are Stark's staff showing up?"

"Not until tomorrow morning. I figured you'd want at least one day here by ourselves before the others show up."

Bucky pushed up until he could give Clint a lingering kiss. Clint's thoughtfulness never ceased to warm Bucky down to his core. "Fuck, I love you."

"I love you too, Bucky."

Bucky kissed Clint again and then stretched. "I guess we really should get up. Late-ish brunch and coffee?"

"As you wish."

~^~

They spent the rest of the day lazing around the house since Clint had already arranged for a cleaning crew to prep the farm for everyone's arrival the next day. They brought a light dinner out with them to the lake so that they could take a moonlit swim and then made love on the picnic blanket with nothing above them but open sky.

Bucky was glad for the reprieve before the others showed up, especially when Tony came in bouncing with barely contained energy.

"What's with him?" he asked Steve as they hugged hello.

"No idea," Steve responded. "He's been like this for a few days, but says he wants to wait until everyone gets here."

"I have an announcement to make," Tony said grandly after everyone had arrived. His showmanship always made Bucky wonder why Tony chose to be a producer and not an actor.

"Go ahead," Steve prodded when Tony let the dramatic silence last too long.

"I… have bought the rights to Avengers Academy."

Clint nearly spit out his drink. "Why the fuck would you do that?!"

"Because _we_ are going to make a movie!"

"Everyone else heard him say we, right?" Natasha asked and everyone nodded, stunned at Tony's pronouncement.

"Come on," Tony implored with a little whine in his voice. "Wasn't it fun when everyone was involved with the place in New York?"

"That's really fucking different than making a movie," Clint pointed out.

"You are not getting me in front of a camera," Natasha said in a voice that brooked no argument.

"I didn't say you had to," Tony responded. "Everyone will have their rightful part to do, just like New York. Bruce already started the screenplay!"

Bruce winced as all eyes turned toward him. "I have," he admitted. "It'll be set sometime in the future. New students, new teachers, but still saving the world."

"We have some ideas for students already. Steve, Bucky, and Thor would be teachers."

"A superhero with a prosthetic arm?" Bucky asked skeptically.

"I was actually thinking bionic," Bruce answered.

"And," Tony continued, "we would have some of the old cast come in to cameo."

"You are not getting me to talk Nick into this," Clint warned.

"Ooh! I hadn't thought of that. But I actually meant you."

Clint's eyes widened at Tony's comment. "No," he said with a shake of his head. "I'm not an actor anymore."

"So what? If sports stars can do cameos in movies, so can you."

Bruce leaned forward. "We're aiming for representation. The students would be as diverse as we can find and I was thinking I'd write you in as your original character that's married to Bucky's."

"Nice," Bucky said and Clint spun to face him, looking betrayed.

"You like this crazy idea?"

"It's literally his adolescent dream come true," Steve answered for him. 

Clint sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

"Sorry," Bucky said. "I know it sounds crazy, especially coming from Tony, but the idea's growin' on me."

"We could donate part of the proceeds to charity," Pepper spoke up. "I know several that help inner city kids get into good colleges, so it would fit with the theme of the Academy."

"I trust Bruce not to write a crappy movie," Sam said and Natasha nodded next to him.

"We can keep the press tour to a minimum," Rhodey added. "And I promise to help keep Tony from letting this take over our lives."

Tony made a noise of protest, but wisely didn't say any more as Clint looked around at their friends. He turned to Bucky with a bemused smile. "You really want to do this?"

"Yeah. I think I do."

"Okay," Clint sighed again. "I'm in."

Tony let out a whoop in celebration and everyone started talking all at once.

"Thanks," Bucky said softly as he took Clint's hand. "Though maybe I should be pissed at Stark for stealing my thunder."

"What thun—"

Clint's words broke off on a gasp as Bucky kept hold of his hand and slipped off his chair to land on one knee in front of Clint.

"Holy shit! Bucky's proposing!" Sam called out and there was immediate silence on the deck.

Clint's mouth was open in shock and his hand was shaking in Bucky's grip, but his eyes were glowing with happiness.

"What do you say?" Bucky asked. "You want to marry me for real?"

"Yes!" Clint answered and surged forward to kiss Bucky as the others cheered loudly.

Bucky stood and brought Clint up with him without breaking the kiss. He pulled the ring he'd bought out of his pocket and showed it to Clint.

"For the record, this," Bucky said as he slipped the ring onto Clint's finger. "This is my dream come true."

~ _fin_ ~


End file.
